The Fountainhead: Chapter 4: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

Wynand, Roark, and Dominique sit on the shore of a lake and watch the Wynand house on the hill above them. Dominique has lived in the house for a month now, and feels Roark’s presence in every detail of the house. Wynand feels the house suits her perfectly, and that in the house, she is safe and all his. Roark is the only guest Wynand permits in the house, which is hard for her to bear. Roark’s presence tortures her, as does his close connection with Wynand.

When Toohey sees the drawings for the Cortlandt Homes, his mouth falls open and he calls Keating “a genius.” Toohey is sure the plans will be approved and offers Keating his congratulations. Wynand, on the other hand, is enraged when he sees the drawing, recognizing it as Roark’s work. Roark, however, denies it, claiming Keating did it, and when Wynand threatens to run a story about how Roark was the real designer, he asks Wynand to drop it.

At the Banner, Wynand senses a change that he finds disconcerting. Alvah Scarret has written an editorial about how mothers should care for all children, not just their own, and Wynand calls it trash and asks him to re-do it. Scarret tells him in a low voice that sounds like a warning that he is “out of step with the times,” leaving Wynand puzzled. He had noticed the trend towards socialism in the pages of the Banner, but had assumed it was a phase and didn’t worry. He didn’t feel threatened by the “We Don’t Read Wynand” movement, or the dip in circulation. Yet, Scarret’s attitude seems to say that he no longer values his boss’ opinion, which makes Wynand uneasy. 

In the past months, Wynand has plugged Roark’s work in the Banner, mentioning it whenever possible in articles of good taste. He believes he is helping Roark, but several intellectuals have begun to laugh at Roark, calling him the “the Banner’s glamor boy.” Austen Heller tells Roark to ask Wynand to stop the publicity campaign at once. He says it is harming Roark’s credentials because of the Banner’s seedy reputation. Roark refuses to do so.

One afternoon in fall, Wynand takes Roark with him to Hell’s Kitchen, where he shows him a row of broken-down tenements. He explains that this is where he grew up, and that he gradually has bought all this land. He says that when he is ready for it, he will build a skyscraper there, and that he’d like Roark to design it. He says it will be “the best gift [he] could offer to the man who means most to [him].”